[Yak] Problems with SRAM three speed hub and clickbox

[Dave Charles]

We ride a Tandem "Q" which now has about 2000 miles on it after 18 months of ownership. As a result of travelling, it has been disassembled and reassembled about two- dozen times. Around 1800 mile the three-speed hub began to behave erratically, and would not stay in the selected gear, accompanied by lots of noise from the hub and of course loss of power. No amount of clickbox adjustment worked. Only two gearing positions would work, usually top and bottom, with the middle range position not sustainable. When middle range was engaged, it would shift out erratically, usually in response to a bumpy road, or change in drive chain tension as we coasted or increased pressure in climbs. Our local bike shop discovered that the clickbox demonstrated considerable lateral movement around 2 to 3 millimeters and that this then caused the pin it is attached to to move and slip out of gear. The bike store used a ziptie to secure the clickbox to the frame to reduce the lateral play. Since then the three-speed hub has behave normally. I contacted BF and they in turn contacted SRAM. Both reported not hearing of this problem before. BF suggested replacing the clickbox. I wondered if anyone has experienced similar problems and if and how it was resolved.
Dave Charles
Sidney BC
Canada
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